Education Commissioner Pam Stewart recalls her time in Marion County

Florida's Commissioner of Education Pam Stewart, center, reacts after Marion County Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn, left, greeted her by kneeling before she spoke at the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership breakfast in Ocala Wednesday. CEP President and CEO Jaye Baillie, right, laughs.

ExCEPtional Mornings are held every third Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Marion Extension Auditorium, except in February during the Southeastern Youth Fair. Kevin Sheilley, CEP president and chief executive officer, said the agency has been trying to schedule Stewart for months. He said he wanted her to speak because “education is an indicator of future economic success.”

Sheilley said a good School District will produce — and attract — a quality labor force.

“At the end of the day it is about our workforce,” Sheilley said. “Businesses want to hire people with skills and abilities. And attracting people with skills and abilities from other areas often depends on (the quality of) our schools.”

Stewart presented a short PowerPoint about the state of Florida schools and said the state gets a bad rap when it comes to education quality.

In fact, she noted, Florida fourth-graders placed second in the world when compared to their peers in 53 other countries. The study was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in 2011. The association conducts the study every five years; the first one was in 2001.

The study examines reading achievement and habits of the nation's fourth-graders and compares them with their peers worldwide. Florida used federal grant money to be evaluated independently of the United States.

Students scores were based on results from a test known as PIRLS, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. The PIRLS results were released in December 2012. The average score of Florida fourth-graders ranked No. 2 worldwide, above the average for the United States.

Stewart also noted that Florida was ranked among the nation's best education systems, according to Education Week's analysis in 2013.

Called the “Quality Counts” report, Florida was ranked No. 6 among all 50 states, trailing only Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and Arkansas. Florida has been ranked in the top 11 states in terms of quality in the last five reports, she said.

“What this represents is some awesome work (statewide),” she noted at the end of her presentation to about 150 people.

The crowd makeup was a blend of business people and educators. The attendees included many School Board candidates, current board members and the teachers' union president. Other high-profile educators included Jim Henningsen, president of College of Central Florida.

Stewart spent 25 years in Marion County, rising from a Ward-Highlands Elementary School teacher in 1981 to principal, first at Reddick-Collier Elementary in 1996, and then at Vanguard High School in 1999.

Stewart was hired in 2004 as the deputy chancellor for K-12 education quality by Jim Warford, the former Marion County superintendent of schools who became the K-12 education chancellor in 2003.

After a five-year stint in Tallahassee, Stewart served as an assistant deputy superintendent of curriculum in the St. Johns County School District until 2012, when she was hired as the state's K-12 chancellor.

Soon thereafter, Stewart was named the interim education commissioner and then was named officially to the position last year.

Most of Stewart's speech was a walk down memory lane and discussion of how her experience in Marion County was key to her success.

Stewart first acknowledged one of her dear friends, West Port High Principal Jayne Ellspermann. Stewart talked about their friendship and the fact that Ellspermann is Florida's principal of the year and is one of three finalists for top teacher in the nation.

Stewart also spent several minutes talking about Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn, who, she said, played a key role in her career.

Stewart remembered the first time she applied for a principal's position in Marion County. She did not get picked and confided in Tomyn about her disappointment. He encouraged her to keep fighting.

“I failed at my first attempt at principal and I said I would not try again,” Stewart said. “I ended up at Reddick-Collier and I wouldn't be here right now (if not for the encouragement). George, I give you a great deal of credit for that.”

Stewart said she speaks to most all of the superintendents every year and that Tomyn is among the state's best.

“He is doing great work,” she said. “You will see great results” from his leadership and the programs he is implementing.

Stewart said she arrived in Ocala very late on Tuesday, too late to stay with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, who live in Marion County.

“I have been busy and I have to be in Orlando in the morning (today),” she said. “I can say, I really do feel like Marion County is home.”

Joe Callahan can be reached at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.

<p><i>Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Pam Stewart was the first female principal in the Marion County School District.</i></p><p>For 23 years state Education Commissioner Pam Stewart called Marion County home; a place where she raised her family, worked as a teacher and became a school administrator.</p><p>And it was working in the trenches here that transformed an unsure young teacher into a believer when it comes to educating children.</p><p>“It was Marion County where I developed the belief that all children really can learn,” Stewart said.</p><p>That epiphany began evolving just after she became principal at Reddick-Collier Elementary School in 1996, she said.</p><p>Within two years of landing the job, Stewart said she watched as struggling students exceeded expectations and the school's grade jumped from an F to a C.</p><p>Stewart's comments came Wednesday morning during the ExCEPtional Mornings breakfast meeting sponsored by the Ocala/Marion County Chamber & Economic Partnership (CEP).</p><p>ExCEPtional Mornings are held every third Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Marion Extension Auditorium, except in February during the Southeastern Youth Fair. Kevin Sheilley, CEP president and chief executive officer, said the agency has been trying to schedule Stewart for months. He said he wanted her to speak because “education is an indicator of future economic success.”</p><p>Sheilley said a good School District will produce — and attract — a quality labor force.</p><p>“At the end of the day it is about our workforce,” Sheilley said. “Businesses want to hire people with skills and abilities. And attracting people with skills and abilities from other areas often depends on (the quality of) our schools.”</p><p>Stewart presented a short PowerPoint about the state of Florida schools and said the state gets a bad rap when it comes to education quality.</p><p>In fact, she noted, Florida fourth-graders placed second in the world when compared to their peers in 53 other countries. The study was conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement in 2011. The association conducts the study every five years; the first one was in 2001.</p><p>The study examines reading achievement and habits of the nation's fourth-graders and compares them with their peers worldwide. Florida used federal grant money to be evaluated independently of the United States.</p><p>Students scores were based on results from a test known as PIRLS, the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study. The PIRLS results were released in December 2012. The average score of Florida fourth-graders ranked No. 2 worldwide, above the average for the United States.</p><p>Stewart also noted that Florida was ranked among the nation's best education systems, according to Education Week's analysis in 2013.</p><p>Called the “Quality Counts” report, Florida was ranked No. 6 among all 50 states, trailing only Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia and Arkansas. Florida has been ranked in the top 11 states in terms of quality in the last five reports, she said.</p><p>“What this represents is some awesome work (statewide),” she noted at the end of her presentation to about 150 people.</p><p>The crowd makeup was a blend of business people and educators. The attendees included many School Board candidates, current board members and the teachers' union president. Other high-profile educators included Jim Henningsen, president of College of Central Florida.</p><p>Stewart spent 25 years in Marion County, rising from a Ward-Highlands Elementary School teacher in 1981 to principal, first at Reddick-Collier Elementary in 1996, and then at Vanguard High School in 1999.</p><p>Stewart was hired in 2004 as the deputy chancellor for K-12 education quality by Jim Warford, the former Marion County superintendent of schools who became the K-12 education chancellor in 2003.</p><p>After a five-year stint in Tallahassee, Stewart served as an assistant deputy superintendent of curriculum in the St. Johns County School District until 2012, when she was hired as the state's K-12 chancellor.</p><p>Soon thereafter, Stewart was named the interim education commissioner and then was named officially to the position last year.</p><p>Most of Stewart's speech was a walk down memory lane and discussion of how her experience in Marion County was key to her success.</p><p>Stewart first acknowledged one of her dear friends, West Port High Principal Jayne Ellspermann. Stewart talked about their friendship and the fact that Ellspermann is Florida's principal of the year and is one of three finalists for top teacher in the nation.</p><p>Stewart also spent several minutes talking about Superintendent of Schools George Tomyn, who, she said, played a key role in her career.</p><p>Stewart remembered the first time she applied for a principal's position in Marion County. She did not get picked and confided in Tomyn about her disappointment. He encouraged her to keep fighting.</p><p>“I failed at my first attempt at principal and I said I would not try again,” Stewart said. “I ended up at Reddick-Collier and I wouldn't be here right now (if not for the encouragement). George, I give you a great deal of credit for that.”</p><p>Stewart said she speaks to most all of the superintendents every year and that Tomyn is among the state's best.</p><p>“He is doing great work,” she said. “You will see great results” from his leadership and the programs he is implementing.</p><p>Stewart said she arrived in Ocala very late on Tuesday, too late to stay with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, who live in Marion County.</p><p>“I have been busy and I have to be in Orlando in the morning (today),” she said. “I can say, I really do feel like Marion County is home.”</p><p><i>Joe Callahan can be reached at 867-4113 or at joe.callahan@starbanner.com. Follow him on Twitter at JoeOcalaNews.</i></p>